The present invention generally relates to aircraft armament apparatus and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to a support plank-based aircraft armament mounting system incorporating thereon apparatus for supporting various aircraft cargo externally of the aircraft.
The external mounting on aircraft of weaponry such as machine guns, rocket launchers and the like, particularly in retrofit applications, has heretofore carried with it a variety of structural, operational and safety limitations and disadvantages. As but one example, the external mounting of machine guns on a helicopter has previously entailed securing an outwardly projecting metal support tube to the helicopter and then mounting the gun on the tube. While this seems to be a fairly straightforward approach, unavoidable limberness in the support tube often led to firing inaccuracies in the mounted gun due to wobbling of its firing axis relative to the aircraft.
To a great extent these problems have been eliminated by using the honeycombed metal support plank structure illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,138 to Sanderson et al. This support plank structure includes a fixed length central longitudinal section which is transversely insertable through the cabin portion of the aircraft in a manner such that fixed opposite end portions of this plank section project outwardly from opposite sides of the body of the aircraft through cabin door openings therein. Pivotally secured to the outwardly projecting ends of this central plank section are outer tip portions of the overall plank structure. These outer tip portions are vertically pivotable, about plank structure hinge lines disposed exteriorly of the aircraft, between (1) lowered, fully extended operating positions in which they form outward extensions of the fixed, outwardly projecting opposite ends of the central plank section, and (2) upwardly and inwardly folded transport and storage positions in which the outer tip portions rest atop the outer end portions of the central plank section outboard of the opposite sides of the aircraft.
At the outer ends of these foldable tip portions are downwardly projecting outboard weaponry mounting structures which, using conventional bomb lug connector apparatus, are operative to removably support a pair of multiple tube rocket launchers at their bottom ends. Mounted on the undersides of the fixed position outwardly projecting central plank section end portions, inwardly of the hinge lines for the foldable plank tip portions, are a pair of inboard support structures operative to removably support a pair of machine guns such as 7.62 mm "mini guns".
While the support plank-based aircraft armament system illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,138 has proven to be structurally superior to metal tube-type weaponry support systems, the inboard portion of the central plank section, together with the ammunition magazines mounted on the top side thereof, occupies a considerable amount of space in the aircraft cabin area through which the plank extends. This, in turn, substantially reduces the amount of cargo that may be carried within the cabin area. To offset this reduction in the cargo-capacity of the aircraft cabin area, a modification was made to this support plank structure as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,239 to Sanderson.
In this modified support plank structure, front and rear sides of the outer end portions of the central plank section, which project outwardly beyond the opposite outer sides of the aircraft body, are fitted with removable front and rear auxiliary plank sections which may be pivoted, about horizontal axes parallel to the length of the plank structure, between (1) cargo support positions in which the two auxiliary plank sections on each outer central plank section end transversely extend horizontally from front and rear sides of the outwardly projecting central plank section end, and (2) a pivoted orientation in which one of the auxiliary plank sections is swung up onto the top side of its associated central plank section outer end portion.
While this modified plank structure advantageously provides, externally to its associated aircraft, additional cargo-carrying capacity its portions disposed externally to the aircraft also create an undesirable aerodynamic drag when not being used in a cargo-carrying capacity. It would thus be desirable to reduce such drag during flights of the aircraft in which the external cargo-carrying capabilities of the plank structure is not being utilized. It is to this goal that the present invention is directed.